Lunar Magma Ocean Video

Have you ever wondered how the dark and bright regions of the Moon formed? In a new video, you will learn how they emerged from an ancient Moon that was surrounded by a magma ocean. The video was produced by Tim Swindle, at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, and part of the LPI-JSC Center for Lunar Science and Exploration.

This short video illustrates how the Moon differentiated, forming an olivine-rich mantle and a bright white anorthosite-rich crust that was later breached by erupting lavas that cooled to form dark surfaces, usually bounded within the rims of immense impact basins.